Court to review decision to grant bail to three 'Murder Cafe' suspects

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- In new twists and turns in the murder case of a couple allegedly killed by people working at a coffee shop in Bali District (八里) of New Taipei City, the Shilin District Court will review today an earlier decision to release three suspects, including shop owner Lu Bing-hong and another two men named Ou Shi-cheng and Chung Dian-fong, on bail.

The local court will make the move on an order from the Taiwan High Court that revoked yesterday the release of the three male suspects who were also thought to be involved in the death of Chen Chin-fu, a 79-year-old businessman, and his wife Chang Tsui-ping, a 58-year-old associate professor at Shih Chien University.

The High Court announced the ruling on a petition from the Shilin District Prosecutors' Office which wanted to keep the trio in detention to prevent possible collusion and destruction of essential evidence.

The district court has so far been able to detain only Hsieh Yi-han, the female manager of the coffee shop and a key suspect in the double murder.

Prosecutors insisted that Lu and his two friends, Ou and Chung, could also be involved in the homicides. After their release, the three are required to report to their respective local police stations every day.

When reporting to the local police yesterday, shop owner Lu said he would file a lawsuit against Hsieh for making wrongful accusation against him and damaging the business reputation of his shop.

Lu told reporters that he had enjoyed a content and tranquil life before Hsieh was arrested for suspected homicides.

He was forced to shut down business operations after his shop was dubbed "Murder Cafe" by local media.